Meet Martin...

My favourite plants are roses because there is so much variety, different colours from reds, yellows, oranges and also species such as climbing, rambling and hybrid roses. The petals can be dried for pot pourri or they can be used to make perfumes and the hips used to make wine.

My garden speciality is choosing plants for our customers. Choosing the plants involves understanding soil types and being aware of the orientation of the garden, as well as taking into consideration the height and placing of plants so that they can be seen at their best from different aspects.

The best gardening tip I have is to do work little and often to reduce the chore of things like weeding therefore giving you more time to enjoy your garden to the maximum.

One of the most challenging jobs is working around plants whilst suffering from hay fever.

I take inspiration from other gardens that I visit because even the large gardens can have things that can be adapted to fit smaller gardens; it's all a matter of scale.

The most rewarding part of the job is helping customers achieve the garden of their dreams with the addition of plants.

My ideal garden would be a large south facing garden on a slope with a natural stream running through it so I can sit and rest in the evening and just listen to the sound of the water flowing without a care in the world. When I'm not relaxing in the garden I like to go down to my allotment and tend to my vegetables.